Execution problems dogging defense

By Ray Fittipaldo / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin promised changes Sunday if his players did not focus on getting better during the off week. Tomlin made those remarks after the 34-27 loss against Minnesota that dropped the Steelers to 0-4 for the first time since 1968.

Veteran safety and team captain Ryan Clark has been in the NFL for 12 years and knows how it works when teams go through long losing streaks, but he doesn't necessarily believe big changes are needed.

"When you're on 0-4, you're coached differently than when you're 12-4," Clark said. "As far as I'm concerned, it's the way it's always been. That's the tough part about losing. Things get sticky in the building. It's the NFL. Our job is not to play football; it's to win football games. When you don't win a football game, changes need to be made. The chemistry in the air, the personality of the building becomes difficult to live in."

The team's woes are not for a lack of trying, Clark said. He does not believe the issues facing the team lie in effort on the field or in the way players are preparing for games.

"I'm just talking about effort," Clark said. "I'm just talking about the will to win. The film shows one thing, but I know when a guy gets blocked he's not trying to get blocked. I know when a guy misses a tackle he's not trying to miss that tackle. The effort is there. I think guys are playing hard. We just aren't executing.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/steelers-notebook-execution-problems-dogging-defense-705759/#ixzz2gYzrHNnP

"Things get sticky in the building."

Dammit Ben.